Notes

Description

The Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, announces the release of Augustprince peach. Augustprince, previously tested as BY96P2631, is being released to provide an attractive, very firm peach ripening with or just before Jefferson, that is well-adapted to the Southeastern climate. It has performed well in South Carolina and Georgia and is suggested for trial wherever Sunprince is grown. Augustprince resulted from cross of Sunprince × BY92P2710. BY92P2710 resulted from a cross of Flameprince × BY87P943 (=Blazeprince open pollinated). The original seedling tree of BY96P2631 was planted at the Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Lab at Byron, GA in 1996 and selected by W.R. Okie when it first fruited in 1998. Augustprince ripens in late July to early August at Byron, about with Jefferson, although in certain years it has ranged a week earlier or later. Most years it ripens 3-7 days after its sibling, Early Augustprince. The fruit is large, 7-8 centimeters (2.75-3.0 inch) in diameter when adequately thinned, and usually very round. Fruit is larger, firmer and redder than Jefferson. At maturity, the surface is 70-80 percent bright red with an attractive yellow ground color and little pubescence. The flesh is yellow with some red in the flesh if allowed to mature on the tree. The freestone fruit is firm with excellent melting texture and very good flavor. Trees of Augustprince are vigorous and productive. Leaf glands are reniform. Trees appear to be moderately resistant to bacterial spot disease. Blossoms have large, showy pink petals and are self fertile. Trees bloom after Sunprince and before Cresthaven, requiring about 850 hours of chilling below 7°C (45°F) to break the bud rest period in climates similar to that of Byron. Augustprince has cropped well in years when chilling has been inadequate for Cresthaven. No virus symptoms have been observed on Augustprince trees at Byron.

Key

Evaluations are based on a 1-8 scale (6=OK,7=Commercially acceptable, 8=Excellent)